Casa Xica

Barcelona: Casa Xica

A Catalan love letter to Asian cuisines

Let’s admit it, fusion has become one of those redundant terms of the culinary macrocosm that describes what everybody practically does these days… and their mother. So when you hear that a Catalan restaurant creates Asian fusion dishes, you’re kinda prone to take it with a grain of salt. However, Casa Xica is one of the exceptions that actually proves... it works.

An imprint of Asian cuisines can be found at almost every corner of Europe these days. What is interesting is that one doesn’t need to have Asian roots anymore in order to be able to understand and develop dishes that speak volumes of a culture’s flavours and colours. Sometimes, a meaningful culinary trip is all it takes. And the owners behind the fusion restaurant Casa Xica know that best.

Nestled on a quiet stretch of Poble-sec, Casa Xica is Catalan for ‘small house’ and is owned by Marc, Rachel and Esteban. After a trip to Malaysia, they were inspired to recreate some of the far east flavours in their homeland, Spain. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this small and intimate restaurant: reinterpretations of Thai, Malaysian and Japanese dishes that are prepared with true Catalan ingredients. And when we munched on their squid gyozas and steamed bacallà in miso coating, our tastebuds started getting that this blend of South-meets-East actually works.

At Casa Xica, it’s not only their approach to food that’s cozy and modern. Behind the red lantern window shutters, you’ll find friendly hosts that will walk you through the menu and will take their time to explain the fitting wine choices without aiming to sell you the most expensive bottle. For us, that’s a good enough incentive to want to revisit next time we’re in Barcelona.

What you're eating:

Their signature Arròs amb anguila, an Asian take on a Spanish paella with smoked eel and shiitake mushrooms

What you're drinking:

Organic Catalan wine. Sure, you could go with something within the comfort zone, but since you’re here, why not explore the Spanish soils?